Chris Sale vs. ABS: The Petty King Refuses to Push the Button
Chris Sale says he will never use MLB’s new ABS challenge system. Here’s why the Braves ace is refusing to press the button.
Baseball just gave pitchers a new toy.
Chris Sale wants nothing to do with it.
With MLB rolling out the Automated Ball-Strike Challenge System this season — giving each team two chances per game to challenge a call — you’d think a 15-year veteran with over 30,000 pitches thrown might want a little backup.
“I will never challenge a pitch. I will never do it. I won’t do it.”
That’s not a maybe. That’s not a “we’ll see.” That’s a hard no from one of the most intense competitors of his generation.
And honestly? It’s the most Chris Sale thing imaginable.
The ABS Era Begins — Without Sale’s Participation
The new challenge system is simple: two challenges per team per game. Only pitchers, catchers, or hitters can call for it. Tap your helmet immediately after the pitch. The system checks it. Ball or strike gets corrected in seconds.
It’s not full robot umpires. It’s just a safety net.
Sale doesn’t want the net.
He’s 36 years old. He’s pitched for the Chicago White Sox, Boston Red Sox, and now the Atlanta Braves. He’s seen every kind of zone imaginable — tight, wide, inconsistent, emotional, chaotic. He’s won a Cy Young. He’s led the league in dominance. He’s also dealt with bad calls like every other pitcher in history.
And his stance is basically: that’s baseball.
“I’m not an umpire. That’s their job. I’m a starting pitcher.”
It’s old-school in the best and most stubborn way.
Sale admitted he’s greedy — he thinks they’re all strikes. Which, if you’ve ever watched him paint the black with that wipeout slider, makes sense. In his mind, if it’s close, it’s his.
But instead of hitting the challenge button, he’s choosing trust. Or maybe pride.
Framing, Flow, and Competitive Ego
Sale brought up something that doesn’t get enough attention in the ABS debate: framing.
He specifically mentioned how good his catchers are at stealing strikes. The art of framing is still part of the game — and in this challenge system, it still matters unless someone presses the button.
Sale knows a challenge can erase a beautifully framed strike. And more importantly, he knows burning a challenge early could cost his team later in a critical at-bat.
That’s the key here.
He’s not anti-technology. He’s anti-disruption.
Starting pitchers live on rhythm. Tempo. Flow. They build a zone with the umpire over time. They negotiate the edges. They adjust.
Stopping the game to review borderline calls? That changes the vibe.
Sale has survived — and thrived — in a human zone. Imperfect calls are part of the ecosystem. Balls get called strikes. Strikes get called balls. You move on.
He’s choosing competitive continuity over digital correction.
And that’s fascinating.
Let the Catchers Decide
Here’s where it gets even better: if his catcher wants to challenge, fine.
“If my catcher has something to say about it, I’ll leave that to him.”
Translation? I’m not pressing the button — but I’m not stopping you either.
That’s veteran hierarchy at its finest. Sale handles the mound. The catcher handles the chess match. If Sean Murphy or Drake Baldwin feels strongly enough, they can take the gamble.
But Sale? He’s not getting caught tapping his helmet.
In an era where players are embracing every edge possible — data, biomechanics, pitch design labs, wearable tech — Chris Sale is drawing the line at challenging a 1-2 pitch on the black.
It’s stubborn. It’s principled. It’s a competitive ego wrapped in old-school pride.
And it’s perfect.
The ABS system is here. The game is evolving.
Chris Sale is still Chris Sale.
And he’s not pressing the button.
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